One Magpie Means Sorrow
by tinychick
Summary: This is my story about Emi Carlton. One magpie means sorrow. Two means joy.


People often find that God's own creations - the animals and the insects and the plants and all of the nature of the Earth - are the things that inspire us the most, the things that spur our thoughts and leave us with a more active, bouncy, creative imagination.

But as I stared out of the grubby, poky window of my brand new council flat, I couldn't help but be more glum and less imaginative than I had ever felt before. My gentle enquiring eyes soon became damp as they swiftly scanned the view from my new bedroom window.

Sure, they tried to make this place as welcoming as they could. You know, for people like this, the less fortunate, the less wealthy.

The view from my window showed me the little circle of blocks of flats - there must have been five or six tower blocks altogether, and right in the centre of these, there was a large, carefully placed circle of grass, and a selection of pretty green trees and dark oak benches. It was like it was supposed to be our garden. Only I couldn't quite get to grips with that.

"So? What's your verdict? I mean, you and I both know it's not going to compare with your old house. But do you think that maybe my home, _your_ new home, is alright, you know, for a council flat? I've tried to make it as welcoming as I could for you, Emily."

Not bothering to even turn around, I continued to stare gravely into the so-called garden. But even that was difficult to focus on through the misty, dirty and obviously neglected window. My new window.

Eventually, I sighed deeply and responded to this stranger.

"It's Emi."

"What, darling?"

God. How I hated his voice. What made him think that the death of my mother made it suddenly alright for him to come crawling back to me, being sickly sweet, pretending nothing had ever happened in the past? Pretending he'd always been there for me like this? And how could he possibly believe that after all of this time, he could bound back into my life and expect me to still see him as my father?

"I'm Emi. Nobody ever calls me Emily. Nobody has called me Emily since I can remember. You don't know anything about me."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Emi. I know how difficult this is for you, but…"

"No, you don't. You don't know. You _can't _know!"

"Of course I know! You think I don't know anything about you at all, but I do know! And I want to know more! Oh, darling, I may not have been around for you in the past, but I would have done anything to be! If it had been up to me and not your mother, I would have seen you as much as I could. But it wasn't what your mother wanted, and I tried to change her mind, but she was a very stern woman, and in the end I had to accept her wishes. But I wrote to you all of the time, Emily! Emi! Whatever you want to be called, you're still my little girl! Didn't you get my letters? I wrote to you multiple times a year. I still wanted to be part of your life. And now, darling, through a very unfortunate event, I have finally been reunited with you, and I want to be here for you, as I was never able to be in the past! I want to be the best father that I can possibly be, and I want to make everything up to you! I know how heartbreaking it is to lose your mother, I do know - but I hoped you would be pleased that at least you still had your father?"

"But don't you see? You're just a stranger to me - you're not really my father. You're just a man my mother had an affair with. Maybe you're my father biologically - but in reality, you're nothing to me."

"But can't I become something to you? You'll be living here with me, Emi, you'll be here with me for the next few crucial years of your life. Doesn't that mean something to you? Aren't you curious?"

I glanced at this man in front of me, and a salty tear dribbled delicately down my right cheek. To lose my favourite person in the world had been the most devastating event of my life. But to then be 'reunited' with my so-called Dad whom I had never even met before? I was a mess.

"I never needed you before. Why should I need you now? And curious? Why should I be curious?"

"Because your mother isn't around anymore, and I'm here for you now, I'm your guardian, your parent. Of course you need me, Emi - deep down you're still a little girl, and you need my support. Aren't you curious of who I am? Don't you want to learn about me? Don't you want to hear about your own father, the man you never met?"

"Um. Can you leave my room please?"


End file.
